Peltier column: Unions in the crosshairs as session looms

With union busting votes drawing more than 70,000 union supporters to Wisconsin's capital over the weekend, Florida lawmakers are not yet ready to abolish collective bargaining.

Even so, Republican legislative leaders and Gov. Rick Scott are continuing efforts to whittle away at gains made by labor over the past several decades.

With teacher merit pay, pension fund changes and a measure to prevent unions for collecting dues from members through payroll deductions, Florida lawmakers and Scott have made it clear that their get-to-work bandwagon has few seats on board for union members and their supporters.

The most direct assault on unions comes from Sen. John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine. The former chairman of the Republican Party of Florida has proposed a measure to make it harder for unions to collect dues from members.

Under the bill, unions would not be able to use member dues for political purposes, such as campaign contributions, unless they receive written consent from members. A member can also revoke his or her consent at any time. Further, unions could no longer use payroll deductions to collect dues.

Thrasher's bill is just one of many legislative attempts around the country to revamp union laws.

Across the Midwest, many governors have publicly been at war with unions, which are losing strength in numbers. Last year, about one in 10 workers were union members, down from one in five in 1983, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Thrasher has said the measure is a First Amendment issue, saying workers should not be forced to have dues paying for political causes they may not support. Union backers counter that Thrasher's motives are strictly political, arguing the former GOP chairman is simply trying to make it harder for unions, which traditionally back Democratic candidates, to fund such efforts.

Pension benefits are also poised for changes. Lawmakers are looking to have government workers contribute to their pensions — which they currently don't do — in part because they say it's fair, and in part because they say the current system is too expensive to sustain over the long haul.

Proposals differ, with House members and Scott proposing a 5 percent contribution rate for employees and requiring new hires to enter 401(k) type retirement accounts that do not guarantee a particular payout. Backers say the changes put state employees in line with those in the private sector and most states. A Senate plan would reduce the contribution rate to 2 percent for most employees.

Finally, the biggest anti-union push is in the education field, where Scott and the Republican-led Legislature appear poised to enact some type of merit-pay system for Florida's public school teachers. The Florida Education Association has been fighting the effort over the past several years and were aided last year when then-Gov. Charlie Crist vetoed an effort to tie pay to teacher performance.

This time around, the teachers' union will have no such advocate in the governor's office. With Crist gone and Republicans holding super-majorities in both chambers, the writing is on the wall.